We just arrived back to Cincinnati from our trip to RVW (2 hours) to pick up new Roo19. Unfortunately, things did not go as expected and we could use some advice.

During our inspection, we noticed water drops on the shelf that attaches to the front tent end. Also, water stains on end of mattress. Upon further inspection of the front tent end I found that water was sitting along the length of the hinge under the rubber cover. Also, some drips were coming through the hinge and going down the front outside of the camper. The black seal on the bunkend that is attached to the trailer had a couple of "kinks" or areas where the seal did not look good. I assume the water came through there. We purchased in Nov and they have been storing since then and possibly there was a bungee chord or canvas that was stuck in the seal during this time. Luckily there was alot of rain yesterday otherwise it may have gone unnoticed.

We spoke with the service manager who origionally wanted to add some extra seals around the existing ones, but I told them that would not be satisfactory and needed to talk to a manager. My hope was to exchange with another unit either in stock or on order, but since we purchased in Nov. that was not possible. They agreed to send the unit back to the Forest River factory to replace front bunk end, mattress and seals, as well as remove the front shelf to replace and inspect for water damage and replace with new shelf. RVW also agreed to deliver directly to our residence in Cincinnati at no cost after the unit is returned to them from the factory (they said 2 weeks or less).

This is our first purchase of a new RV (previous have all been used from private sellers) so I would like some advice on whether or not this is a fair remedy and also what I should do now to insure that this is handled correctly by both RVW and FR.

Here are the steps I've taken and questions I have:

1)I listed in detail the issues that need to be corrected specifically new bunkend, new seals, new mattress and new shelf.

2) RVW manager has a origional list and I have a copy signed by manager that agrees to ship directly to us.

3) They are contacting FR Monday to arrange for work to be done and will contact me with details.

I have never dealt with FR factory warranty work so I want to make sure that all is taken care of before they send it back and would like some advice from someone who may have similar experience:

Is there a contact person I can speak to at FR while the unit is there to make sure the unit was not just cleaned and new seals put on? I want to make sure they REPLACE the bunk end and shelf and also make sure they inspected under the shelf for any water damage.

What can I do during this process to make sure this is handled to my satisfaction? Unfortunately, I understand these things happen, but as I told RVW, this is our first new RV and the reason we bought new was to not have a unit with existing issues.

On their part, I think RVW has been helpful, but I also understand that I need to bat for us in this situation with FR factory to make sure the problem is taken care of.

Any advice, contact names at FR, etc... would be helpful. Hopefully we can get this resolved to our satisfaction quickly so we can be ready for our first trip!

Oh man that sux that you had those issues. It sounds like they are going to take care of it in a timely manner plus have it delivered to you at their expense which is good. I hope to see you post back that RVW and FR fixed it quickly and to you satisfaction.

I'm wondering if when they did their PDI that they kinked the seals when closing it up and then those terrible storms rolled through causing the leaks. With all the posts about the leaking tent ends it doesn't sound like an isolated issue with just yours.

Since I'm picking up ours in a few weeks, I will definitely check for similar issues and post back.

Yes, I'm glad we saw the problem now rather than later. Shows the importance of a good inspection when you pick up. I'm hoping someone on this forum can provide some info on a good contact person at FR factory so I can be sure things are taken care of there. I want to make sure they replace all that has been promised by RVW before they send it back.

I'd question RVW why they didn't find these problems before you did the PDI.

It's good to see that there's a action plan to fix the issues. You're going to have to trust RVW and FR to get it fixed...can't stand over their shoulder. They're been through similiar situations to this before. RVW in particular are paranoid about 'bad press' on the trailering forums. I'm sure that they'll take care of you.

I would try to tie them down to a shipping date for the camper to be returned to FR.

I would request a new and different unit, neither FR nor RVW have meet the contractual obligation of delivering what would be considered a completed new unit, since it has water damage within the seals that happened prior to delivery to you and you have no idea how long the water sat there of if there is residual damage that will go unseen , think mold, i would refuse the unit. Now that may mean a longer wait time until a replacement can be mfg. my 2 cents...

I too had a bad experience with RVW and FR. Hope all turns out well for you because RVW is a volume dealer only and when these types of issues arise they could care less about you once you have left the lot. I hope in the many weeks to come you get satisfaction and my guess is it will be many many weeks.

nearly every post i've read, where FR took the RV back to the factory, was very positive.
most said that the rig was better than before and often were given free upgrades.
i can't remember any that weren't very satisfied.

as far as another unit from RVW, you could try that route but i'd rather have mine sent back to the factory, cause it'll get looked over more closely, than another new unit from the assembly line.

Thanks for the feedback. So far RVW has been helpful. I received an email from the manager there after we left confirming our issues and that they will be in contact with FR on Monday concerning returnig to factory.

Hoping it all goes smoothly. I will keep updates as it may help others in the future.
If anyone knows of a contact person at FR who has been helpful with warranty work in the past that would be great.

I would request a new and different unit, neither FR nor RVW have meet the contractual obligation of delivering what would be considered a completed new unit, since it has water damage within the seals that happened prior to delivery to you and you have no idea how long the water sat there of if there is residual damage that will go unseen , think mold, i would refuse the unit. Now that may mean a longer wait time until a replacement can be mfg. my 2 cents...

Given the OP's original statement "We purchased in Nov and they have been storing since then and possibly there was a bungee chord or canvas that was stuck in the seal during this time"

They have owned this unit for 4 months now even though they do not have it home so IMO asking for a new unit is not even an option. Getting FR to repair it properly is the way to go, and if you read through the many posts of units going back to the factory I believe the OP will be very happy with the end result. As one poster mentioned though I would be on top of RVW though the whole process though as the gentleman that posted the warning got the royal shaft by RVW last year.